Good morning!

I want to start off by recognizing your heroic efforts to safeguard the health and safety of everyone in CBS.  We're taking strong actions to prevent infections, while we continue to work together to support the individuals who count on us every day.  Thanks to your fantastic efforts, we still do not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in CBS.  This is amazing, and I thank you all for such tremendous work!

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

You have likely heard on the news or elsewhere that there is a nation-wide shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Direct Care & Treatment (DCT) has a group that meets daily to address this challenge.  We are working very hard at local, state, and national levels to get the PPE we need to maintain health and safety for you and the people we support.  Unlike hospitals and large treatment facilities, our homes do not typically have items like masks, face shields, goggles, and gowns.  While some of our sites have some of these items, others have none.  To address this issue, CBS has created emergency PPE kits held regionally to send to sites that need them.  We also are taking inventory of all PPE within CBS and will be centralizing our stock to create PPE kits that will be distributed to each site.  Each site supervisor will be monitoring the site's PPE inventory and requesting supplies as needed.

Staff Redeployment

As we have suspended some of our services due to the pandemic, some CBS staff have been assigned to work elsewhere within CBS and DCT. As the DCT Redeployment team continues to work out the details, we can expect to see more redeployments going forward. Working in different programs with unfamiliar individuals and coworkers may be uncomfortable and might even cause some anxiety.  This is entirely understandable. When the day comes that new people are assigned to work in your program, please take time and go out of your way to make them feel valued, welcomed, respected, and included.   Help them understand the needs of the individuals and help ensure that they have the tools and resources to meet those needs in a safe and person-centered way.  We sincerely appreciate your flexibility, teamwork, and dedication to ensuring that we remain able to provide safe, dependable supports to the Minnesotans who rely on us every day.  

Requests for Paid COVID Leave

We're continuing to get a substantial number of requests for paid COVID-19 leave. Please remember that COVID leave requires prior authorization. To request paid COVID-19 leave, please email CBS Human Resources ([email protected]).

CBS COVID-19 SharePoint site

Please remember to check the CBS COVID-19 SharePoint site for the most updated information and resources.  Information is still changing rapidly, and updates to processes and responses are being made frequently.  We are currently working on developing a COVID-19 Flipchart similar to the Nursing Flipcharts you're familiar with.  We will post this on the SharePoint site when it is completed.

Self-Care

Lastly, please remember to take care of yourself.  Every flight attendant will tell you to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others to put on theirs.  Taking care of yourself first strengthens your ability to help others.  Take time to connect with loved ones, do things you enjoy during your time away from work, take off your hero cape, and relax!  These things will help reduce stress, build resilience, and allow us to face the next day or shift with the strength we need.  We are in challenging times, so it's especially important that we support each other through it. 

To help you cope with the additional stress of providing essential services during this emergency, we encourage you to review the helpful guidance provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regarding COVID-19 and Healthcare Responder Stress and Managing Stress with the Threat of COVID-19.

If you need additional support, please reach out to our LifeMatters employee assistance program. This free program can help state employees and their immediate family members with a wide range of personal and workplace concerns. Use password stmn1 if requested when logging in, or call 1-800-657-3719. 

Thank you all, and be well!